I recently had a patient who entered her nutrition counseling appointment very defensive and guarded. After we started talking, and she got the (correct) impression that I wouldn't encourage her to eliminate favorite foods from her diet, her whole demeanor changed. She breathed a huge sigh of relief and asked if I was serious-out of complete surprise! And yes, I was serious.

This experience reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, from Coach Carr (during his sex ed class), in the movie Mean Girls. He says "the best way to not...is to not." I started thinking about how this applies to how we eat-or how many people apply this idea to how they eat (and how this client had often been told to eat). And I don't like it!

This gross simplification of eating worries me. Nearly everywhere I see "steer clear of...." "never eat refined sugar & you'll..." and the list goes on. I know it seems like a no brain-er, and it kind of is, but sugar tastes so good! Sugar is all around us, foods often labeled as "evil" or "bad" are all around us and they're generally really good (flavor wise!). So, do you think I believe in "the best way to not...is to not.....eat refined sugar...eat gluten (this is a trap! no, no, no) Remember a previous blog post: Gluten-Free diet. Because eating is an emotional, enjoyable experience, it is not so simple to just cut foods out of your diet, and this misinterpretation causes lots of unnecessary failure and sense of defeat. I mean, there are few people who eat or choose what they eat out of physiological need alone.

How about the best way to.....be healthy.. is just to eat less! If you crave something & restrict it, it can be impossible to resist or stop thinking about. What if you run into your arch-nemesis food? Will you throw it on the floor? Or are you pressured (by cravings, yourself/peers...) to overindulge? Healthful eating is simple, but not overly simple. Eat what you crave, but treat high fat/calorie foods as a treat to indulge in occasionally. Besides we know that Coach Carr is a hypocrite &....out of touch. Don't follow his example.